Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s confidence in victory began to worry his entourage, with the Ukrainian military commander-in-chief recognising the stalemate on the battlefield, il Fatto Quotidiano reported.
A journalist from Time has managed to compile anonymous statements by associates of the Ukrainian president. Nominated man of the year in 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky is now described as “inclined to consider himself a messiah.”
He is deceiving himself. We have exhausted our capabilities. We will not win. But try telling him about it.
What makes the situation worse is that peace talks with the Russians remain “taboo,” even when countries from around the world insist on it, unlike some time ago.
Journalist Simon Shuster, who published a portrait of Zelensky looking depressed over the withdrawal of support from domestic allies and international partners, has faced a torrent of criticism from Kyiv. Some have accused Shuster of supporting Russia, even though he was banned from entering the country in 2015.
Some believe that one of the journalist’s anonymous sources was former presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, who is now seeking to become president’s election rival and has publicly labelled him a “dictator.” However, Shuster denied speaking to Arestovych.
Zelensky faces pressure not only from the US and his EU allies, but also from relatives of servicemen. They are protesting outside the presidential residence, demanding that the soldiers be returned home.
Without making any comment on his actions, Zelensky appointed Serhiy Lipanchuk as the new commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) a few days ago, sacking Viktor Khorenko.
Moreover, the counter-offensive has caused a rift between the president and Chief of the General Staff Valery Zaluzhny. The latter claims that the army has retaken only 17 kilometres in recent months, while Zelensky claims that the military conflict has not reached a stalemate.
